As soon as Chen Fan finished speaking, several figures blurred into existence around him. A thick killing intent began to permeate the air, startling a flock of crows from the trees.
Without a word of greeting, the figures unleashed a barrage of magic at Chen Fan. Fireballs, ice arrows, and ground spikes tore through the air with a whistling howl, closing in on him from all sides.
BOOM!
The combined impact blasted a massive crater into the earth, sending a wall of dust into the air. As the dust settled, Chen Fan was revealed, standing completely unscathed in the center of the pit, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his white lab coat.
The assassins were stunned. This didn't match the data they had been given at all. They remained silent, continuing their assault with relentless magical volleys. Boom! Boom!
Chen Fan didn't even bother to dodge. He parried with simple movements of his hands blocking directly or swiping them aside. Every spell thrown his way was either reflected or refracted, colliding with other attacks and annihilating them instantly.
After several minutes of watching them use such traditional, straightforward magic without a word of deception, Chen Fan made a guess.
"You're from the Magic Council, aren't you?"
The assassins stiffened a slight reaction, but Chen Fan caught it. Having confirmed what he wanted to know, he wasn't interested in wasting any more time. Over the years, many people had come looking for trouble, and he had silenced them all without anyone being the wiser.
He had always known the Magic Council would come for him eventually, but he hadn't expected them to be so blatant. It seems I've been underestimated, he thought with a faint smirk.
Since they were bold enough to come, they would have to pay the price.
Chen Fan crouched slightly, hands still in his pockets. With a powerful stomp, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving a deep footprint in the soil.
With his white coat fluttering and his feet barely touching the ground as he practically flew, he looked like a white ghost in the moonlight.
Whoosh!
In a blur that looked like teleportation, Chen Fan appeared beside one of the men. He tapped the man lightly on the shoulder, as if giving a casual greeting, leaving the assassin dazed. The man watched blankly as Chen Fan continued walking past him.
When Chen Fan was about five meters away, the man was hit by a wave of agonizing pain. His body began to twist and distort; his head swelled, and his limbs became bloated with fluid.
BANG!
The man's body exploded. Blood sprayed in every direction, a crimson mist that seemed to dye the very sky.
The remaining assassins were paralyzed with horror. They had seen many lethal magics, but never something so bloody and bizarre. They stared at Chen Fan as he turned back toward them. Under the blood-colored moonlight, his eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and strange digital numbers flickered across the lenses of his glasses. He looked like a cold, heartless machine.
Tap, tap, tap.
The rhythmic sound of his footsteps echoed in the clearing, and their hearts began to pound in sync with his pace.
"AAAH!" One of the men finally broke under the pressure. A massive magic circle appeared beneath his feet. "Ground Spikes!" he roared, slamming his hands into the earth.
Rumble!
Countless massive spikes erupted from the ground, surging toward Chen Fan with lethal speed.
Chen Fan acted as if he hadn't even seen them. He continued walking forward, the numbers in his eyes dancing. The expected spray of blood never came.
The ground beneath his feet remained perfectly still as he walked. With a nonchalant expression, he reached a nearby ground spike, pinched the sharp tip with two fingers, and snapped it off.
He flicked his wrist, aiming the stone shard at the assassin. Terrified, the man quickly cast a Molding Magic. "Earth Wall!" With a shout, a massive barrier of soil rose before him.
Zip!
A sharp whistle cut through the air from Chen Fan's hand.
BOOM!
The massive earth wall collapsed instantly, revealing the scene behind it. The assassin stood there with a clean hole through his forehead, blood leaking down his face. Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged.
The rest were truly terrified now. Chen Fan might have viewed them as mere extras, but they knew how powerful their fallen comrade had been. They broke formation and fled in every direction, no longer caring about their mission only about surviving.
Seeing them run, Chen Fan stomped his foot. The ground beneath him shattered in a spiderweb pattern, and several jagged stones rose to float around him. He gave a light flick of his right hand, sending ripples through the air.
Whoosh!
The stones shot out like cannonballs, friction with the air creating sparks of fire as they screeched toward their targets. Puchu! One after another, the fleeing assassins were turned into dust before they could even scream. Those trying to escape through the air became nothing more than brilliant, crimson fireworks.
Once everyone was dead, Chen Fan closed his eyes and inhaled the metallic scent of the air, sighing. He was troubled. His superpower was incredible, but its "cost" was becoming a nuisance.
He had known for a long time that as his power grew, his humanity would fade, leaving him alone to face the world. He hadn't expected the "equivalent exchange" of his abilities to return so strongly now that his strength had reached these new heights.
He had just killed all those people, yet his heart hadn't felt even a flicker of emotion. He didn't know what he would become in the end, and the thought left him irritable.
Suddenly, a massive purple magic circle manifested in the sky.
ROAR!
A gigantic monster fell from the circle, crashing into the ground with a deafening howl.
"I shall devour your souls! Now, whose soul should I start with?" a booming, arrogant voice echoed through the air.
Chen Fan's brow furrowed. He was already in a foul mood; he had no patience for this creature's rambling. He pulled a coin from his pocket and aimed it at Lullaby.
Swoosh!
A streak of light, like a falling star, flashed across the clearing. The monster's head vanished instantly. Without its source of magic, the rest of the body began to crumble, turning into dust and vanishing into the wind.
The terrifying Lullaby, which had just sent shivers through the hearts of many, was dead. The scene felt surreal. Those watching from the villa stood with their mouths agape, as if they had just seen a miracle.
Natsu shielded his eyes with his hand, staring at the fading light. "Whoa... what a huge shooting star!" Only someone as brainless as him would say something like that.
Gray smacked Natsu on the back of the head. "When have you ever seen a shooting star go from the ground into the sky?!"
"Oh, right," Natsu said, rubbing his head. Then his expression soured. "If you have something to say, just say it! Why'd you hit me? Ah!"
Gray ignored him and looked at Lucy, who had her eyes closed and her hands clasped to her chest. "What are you doing, Lucy?"
"Making a wish!" Lucy replied seriously.
Only Erza looked toward the horizon with a grave expression as the light vanished. She turned to Makarov. "Master, what magic was that? It had such incredible destructive power."
Makarov's expression was equally serious. He looked in the direction the light had come from and had already guessed it was Chen Fan. He turned to the group. "Everyone, go back. Lullaby has been destroyed. The crisis of the Cursed Song is over. Now, go back to bed." He began shooing them away.
Seeing that the Master had spoken, the others though confused didn't argue. They returned to their rooms. Only Goldmine and Bob seemed to have an idea of what happened, but they chose to remain silent in front of the youngsters.
Erza wondered why the Master was acting this way, but she knew his temperament. Like the others, she stopped questioning and followed Makarov toward the villa.
Suddenly, Erza felt a chill run down her spine, and her body shuddered involuntarily. She looked toward the villa with a hint of fear, only to see Chen Fan running toward her with a brilliant smile, waving his hand.
"Xiao Sha Sha! Xiao Sha Sha!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Xiao Sha Sha?!" Lucy stammered, her hands flying to her cheeks in shock.
BAM!!
Erza summoned a sword and appeared beside Chen Fan in an instant, slamming the hilt into his head. After knocking him unconscious, she let out a long breath. "Yosh, cleanup complete. Everyone, go back to your rooms."
With that, she grabbed Chen Fan by the collar and dragged him back toward the villa.
The display sent a cold sweat down everyone's backs, and they scurried to their rooms, terrified of drawing her ire.
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